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She sniffed the jacket, inhaling his clean, slightly spicy scent. It was warm from his body, and the silk lining swished against her skin and dress. ‘You always do this.’

‘Do what?’ He sat on a park bench, and patted the spot next to him.

She sat down. ‘Take care of me. Make sure I have the things I need, before I even know I want them. Thank you.’

‘You don’t ever have to thank me for anything.’ She felt him stiffen slightly beside her, and then take a deep breath. ‘I’d like to keep taking care of you, and making sure you have everything you ever need and want.’

‘It’s a nice thought.’ Evelyn rested her head on his shoulder, wanting to pretend for a while that it really could be true. But the reality was, it wasn’t a choice that was within her gift to make. She had to do what was best for Summer, and it didn’t matter what sacrifices she had to make personally – she’d gladly give her world to keep her daughter safe.

‘We could make it more than a just a nice thought.’ Jake tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and let his hand linger on her cheek.

Evelyn forced herself not to nuzzle against him. ‘No, we can’t. I wish we could, Jake, but we can’t have a future together.’

‘Why not?’

‘You know why.’

‘Because you’re going to Boston?’

‘Which is more than three thousand miles away.’

‘And?’

‘And it’s three thousand miles, Jake. And your business is right here.’

‘And I’ll be busy working, and you’re going to be busy looking after Summer, and in and out of the hospital, and in a different time zone. And you’ve no idea how long you’re likely to be out there, because you don’t know how Summer’s going to react to the treatment, so you can’t possibly ask me to wait. And it’s not like we’re even a proper couple. We’re just having fun, right?’

Just fun. Exactly what they’d agreed, and what she wanted. Which was why she didn’t understand the hollow, sick feeling in her stomach, or why her palms now felt clammy at the thought of the farewell she’d soon have to say. She already knew Boston was going to be hard, and the fact that she’d be alone was only going to make it more difficult. But she’d managed before, and she’d manage again. There’s nothing she wouldn’t do for Summer. But she wished so, so much that things could be different.

‘Hey.’ Jake nudged her shoulder with his. ‘Is that about it? Busy with Summer and hospital, three thousand miles and different time zones for an unknown length of time. Are those all your objections?’

‘I think they’re reason enough, don’t you?’ Evelyn looked out at the lights, watching as they started to blur behind the veil of her tears.

‘No. I don’t.’ He tucked his fingers under her chin and lifted her face to his. ‘Evelyn, it’s taken me my whole life to find you and Summer.’ He used the pads of his thumbs to wipe away her tears, and took a deep breath. ‘I know you’ve said you’re not ready to hear this, but if I don’t tell you, I’ll always wonder. I love you. And Summer. I think I’ve known since the Spring Fling. I wanted to tell you the day you met with her specialists, and you came to the surgery afterwards. When you said goodbye to me, the bottom fell out of my world. And the day when the council voted to make Summer’s Christmas a reality …’

‘… You mean when I kissed you?’

‘Yes. It felt like almost everything was right in my world again. And that when we’d gotten Summer her treatment, it would all be right.’ He took both of her hands in his. ‘I love you both, and I think you should give us a chance. I think you should give us all a chance.’

‘But what about the distance? Do you know how many couples don’t survive long distance relationships?’

‘No, do you?’

‘Well, no. Not exactly. But I know it’s a lot.’ She sighed. ‘Long-distance is hard, Jake. And it’s not like this is even normal, easy long-distance.’

‘No, this is going to be really stressful for you. I appreciate that.’ He squeezed her hand. ‘That’s part of the reason I want to be here for you.’

‘Only part?’

‘The other part is selfish. I love you and don’t want to lose you. Boston isn’t that far, Evelyn. I can visit. You’re making excuses and putting obstacles in the way. And you don’t need to. There’s only one thing I need to know – do you love me?’

Evelyn nodded, her throat too tight with emotion to get the words out.

‘I already know Summer does. So what do you say, will you give us a chance? At love, and happiness, and maybe even a future? We can figure out the logistics later, you just have to say yes.’

‘Evelyn’—he squeezed her fingers in his—‘I know what you’re thinking, and if you say yes I promise I won’t let you down. I can’t promise I might not make mistakes – I probably will – but I promise I will never, ever let you or Summer down. Just please, please say you’ll give us a chance. I don’t want to lose you. Either of you. My life has been so much better since you’ve become a part of it.I don’t want this – us – to end before we’ve really started.’

His words filled her with hope, offering the promise of the future that she had barely dreamed possible: one with a real family, a partner who loved her as much as she loved him, and a loving father who would fight for Summer’s happiness and wellbeing every day. Evelyn nodded slowly. ‘OK.’ Her voice was barely more than a whisper, but it was more than enough for Jake. He scooped her up from the bench, and span her around while laughing, and then kissed her thoroughly until she was breathless.